"PROJECT ROOBY" 80 all rounder build

[FirstToy]

Ok, my post & Darren's that was deleted by Romer has nothing to do with the piss party- it was a silly innuendo on "rooby"- I respect Romer's wanting to keep it on topic.

Darren, wow, the suspension stuff looks wild! How are you making those control arms? CNC like the SLEE6 control arms?

 

[ats4x4dotcom]

Once I settle on a design, we may go 40mm bisalloy plate laser cut, rather than the expense of cnc.

I do have another design in the back of my head, which has a swivel in each arm also, a bit like a J arm, and a heim jointed 2nd pivot.

We do have an 80 chassised truck that has a 4 link front with swivels, which uses a 14" stroke fox shock very well in the front, and rear, but to much hassle to look at, at the moment.

The other idea i have in my head is a double heim jointed diff end, with rubber bush at chassis end, to stop noise transfer, but I havent put a model together on the bench and cycled any of these yet, only in idea incubation, right now.

 

[FJBen]

That second set of arms is reminding me of the Early Bronco arms slightly.

Could you just run some longer arms to help with the flex? I"m assuming that would help you gain some flex without completely redesigning the suspension.

I agree a good spring/shock combo is first. Without a spring that can handle the droop/stuff it's just not going to work as good.

 

[alkaline747trio]

not a bad price for what you seem to get

2 new leading arms
brackets for left ,right and center of the axle
the front piece with joints

how do you take care of the interference problem with the drag link?

I don't think there is any interference, this seemed to be a pretty issue free install...the only problem I remember with this over a 3-link is that you still have those control arms hanging way the hell down. A pair of super flexy control arms that could be flipped to the top of the axle is what I'm waiting for.

 

[landtank]

I don't think there is any interference,

I was just going by the picture and it's at an angle that's hard to really judge there. Still at that price I'm surprised Slee or someone else hasn't offered them, or are they?

 

[concretejungle]

you think that price includes the arms? Wow, that says something right there.

 

[FJBen]

I'm pretty sure that X-link is installed with factory arms.

I know of a few homebrew installs that do.

 

[Corbet]

here's a pair of pictures of the X-Link installed for those asking about interference. AU spec Hilux.

 

[FJBen]

btw: if anyone can get an X-link into the US, I'd test it out

 

[alkaline747trio]

I followed the whole X-link thing when it first showed it's head back a while ago, looked good but it seems like most people who would do that much to the front of an 80 would go ahead and get rid of the stock system and 3-link it, because I don't think that price was with arms, and that is still a heafty price when you really get into pricing a home-brew 3-link.

 

[landtank]

I'm pretty sure that X-link is installed with factory arms.

I know of a few homebrew installs that do.

from the picture they don't look like stock arms to me. But I'm not up on this mod either.

 

[alkaline747trio]

It does look like the front bushing sits higher up on the axle than stock doesn't it, Rick.

 

[FJBen]

The one thing I like about this setup is the fact that you can "pin-it" and have it drive completely stock. If you could get flex and then stock performance...well it doesn't sound to bad.

A 3-link is a bit more work than this, and potential for some problems if not setup ie geometry right.

The negatives are the the look/clearance, housing mods and who knows what else, oh arms if those are seperate.

 

[Tapage]

Mmm .. new hi luz SAS .. ! thought hey use the 8" hi pinion ..

 

[Walking Eagle]

btw: if anyone can get an X-link into the US, I'd test it out

call them - Dobbin Eng. not ATS - I contacted them about it and they were very willing to sell to me - don't know what the shipping cost would be like, the $$ US wasn't to bad either - less than a set of Slee arms anyway. My dog ended up having a surgery that would have paid for this mod, so I didn't pursue it further.


There is no need for the caster correction bushing ATS is using if you use the x-link as you set the caster when you weld the front bushing mount on.

As far as I know, it uses the stock arms. Some that have high lifts (6"+) and have done their own homebrew versions use stock arms flipped on top. It's a sound design, and allows more articulation without creating some of the issues that a 3 or 4 link will.

 

[landtank]

Now that I went to the Dobbin site I can see that it uses stock arms. The panhard bracket on the left side through me.

 

[ats4x4dotcom]

That second set of arms is reminding me of the Early Bronco arms slightly.

Could you just run some longer arms to help with the flex? I"m assuming that would help you gain some flex without completely redesigning the suspension.

I agree a good spring/shock combo is first. Without a spring that can handle the droop/stuff it's just not going to work as good.

We have tested arms 200mm[8"] longer with standard bushes, moving the chassis mount backward, and found we gained an extra 7" of free travel by doing this.

So if we can make longer arms, and use the X link as an example, but seperate per side, and "control" the movement, we should be able to use the extra length, without the down sides of a 4 link, because the amount of flex is more important in the front, than the amount of "travel" and with alot of 4 or 3 links, they tend to flex more before the rear does, which is nomrally the opposite of what you require.

We have also played with longer rear lower arms, which free the rear up as well, and improve rear traction or "squat" to push the tyre into the ground.

From all acounts, the x link drives in between standard set up and 4 link, for sway, though I have not driven a vehicle with this set up, and would be hesitant to got to a single front mounting to keep the diff from dissapearing out the back while on the road.

The hilux pictured has a 80 front housing and steering box to convert it to SAS.

 

[ats4x4dotcom]

call them - Dobbin Eng. not ATS - I contacted them about it and they were very willing to sell to me -

Thats correct, x - link isnt something we would supply, we have only looked at the concept, as part of our plan for "rooby", not to try, or fit one, and we havent tried one, to say we want to sell them, at this stage.

 

[concretejungle]

I was going to ask about sway. In the pic provided, it appears to be in the process of a nose dive? are you worried about that at all?

 

[ats4x4dotcom]

I was going to ask about sway. In the pic provided, it appears to be in the process of a nose dive? are you worried about that at all?

The first pic of that hilux woth SAS shows it leaning, and spinning the inside front tyre, yet it hasnt really lent on the outside tyre at the front, as the sidewall isn really laying over, like it should, as it transfers load to the outside, whilst turning.

This says to me the front shock, and /or sway bar arent working as well as they could be, which may, or may not also be related to the x link set up.

We tend to set up with more castor, and neg camber, to aid turn in, and tyre wear, like my patrol [very similar front end set up to 80] which we will also do with "rooby". In the pic below, running 12 psi in the 37"s, it still turns in like it should, and doesnt have the tyre "tuck under" or promote under steer, but if the shcok/coil/sway bar isnt up to the extra force you can submit, by better grip/turn in, then the vehicle leans more to go with it.